CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish's pick for director of health and human services believes the county employs an adequate number of social workers, but is open to hiring more.

Walter Parfejewiec, questioned by County Council on Tuesday as part of the confirmation process, said he would decide about staffing after reviewing recommendations made after the March death of 4-year-old Aniya Day Garrett.

Parfejewiec has served as interim director for eight months and oversees a total of eight divisions, including Children and Family Services, Job and Family Services, Senior and Adult Services and the Child Support Enforcement Agency.

During his tenure as interim director, Children and Family Services came under fire for the death of Aniya, who suffered a stroke caused by blunt impact injuries to her head, among other injuries. The child services agency received several complaints about Aniya prior to her death, but investigations never yielded enough evidence to warrant removing her from her home, a county spokeswoman said.

The girl's death spurred Budish's administration to announce changes to the agency, including increasing the number of social workers, launching a community listening tour, and requesting that County Council create an advisory board to provide feedback on the agency.

Council members on Tuesday asked Parfejewiec he thinks Children and Family Services has enough social workers. He said he is comfortable with the 450 workers and has not heard that the staff is overworked or otherwise unable to meet the demands of the job.

County Council is expected to vote on Parfejewiec's nomination next month.

If confirmed, he would receive an annual salary will be $135,000. He would replace Thomas Pristow, who left the director position in October 2017 to oversee similar operations for the state of New Hampshire. Pristow earned $150,000 a year.

Parfejewiec was the chief financial officer at the agency before he was appointed as interim director. He is a Cleveland State University graduate and has worked for Health and Human Services since 1999, according to a resume submitted to County Council. He also has served as financial consultant for Newkor, Inc. in Cleveland since 2000.

The Department of Health and Human Services has about 2,300 employees and a $366 million annual budget.